FIA Toon World Endurance Championship
by jimeligino58
Summary: Inspired by a friend of mine, this is an animation x motorsport crossover. Join your favorite anime/cartoon/videogame characters as the travel the globe, racing for the World Endurance Championship. A/N: I only own my OC's - nothing more.
1. Question: Do YOU Want the Toon WEC?

**So far, I stopped writing the Toon WEC a long while back, but I've heard from a couple people that I should bring it back. Now, I should tell you that this was originally the idea of one of my friends on Deviantart; I was reading back through some of the races I wrote (three in total), and enticed by the writing and narrative, was debating whether I should do it on my own.**

 **If I** ** _do_** **revisit the series, I will post the two remaining races from 2016 (albeit one with changes more accurate to the actual race from two years ago), as well as do a "Race Recap" for last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, before posting [probably] a couple Behind-The-Scenes and then the roster for the "Super Season" (in which I'll cherry-pick some of the Super Season's more prominent races), as well as some interviews and news.**

 **Let me know in the comments if I should revisit the Toon WEC!**


	2. Welcome to the Toon WEC!

**I noticed that there were very few anime-and-motorsport crossovers, and with a bit of a buzz over on Deviantart [where the series is being run with a friend of mine – Aminazuki26], I thought I may as well bring the series here as well – so, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship!**

 _ **Author's note: The LMP1-L class is not in this season, as there are only three entrants fielded [two from Rebellion Racing and one from byKolles Racing]. 2017 should [hopefully] change that, but luckily the LMP1-Ls have been pretty much the surprise package of the 2016 season.**_

 _ ***Author's note #2: Since almost all of the characters of Hyperdimension Neptunia don't have last names (bar Uzume), I ended up stumbling upon Rednal29 and his Neptunia Gakuen Gaiden series on Deviantart, and used the last names from there.**_

 _ **The last names of everyone in the Neptunia series used here – again, excluding Uzume – are**_ **fictional.**

 ** _Author's note #3: Posting each race will probably take a while, since I have another series on Deviantart that I'm working on (FIA Toon Formula 1 Championship), and that I have to make the proper edits for each race, when I'm converting them from Deviantart versions to versions; i.e., making sure I put in proper names, the right symbol is over the right letter, etc._ **

_**Author's note #4 (and this is the big one): I do not own anything, other than my own original characters. Not the FIA WEC, not the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), not any of the anime, cartoons, etc. listed here - only **_**my** _ **original characters. This is all for legitimate fun, and because I love motorsport.**_

===============================  
 _ **Key:**_  
 **IWSCS: IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Series [North America]  
ELMS: ACO European Le Mans Series  
AsLMS: ACO Asian Le Mans Series  
**===============================  
 _ **  
LMP1:  
**_ **Audi Sport Team Joest [Audi R18 e-tron Quattro [2016-spec]; Michelin]**  
#1: Serena Tsukino [Japan], Ami Mizuno [Japan] and Rei Hino [Japan]  
#2: Hikaru Shidou [Japan], Umi Ryuuzaki [Japan] and Fuu Hououji [Japan]

 **Toyota Gazoo Racing [Toyota TS050 Hybrid; Michelin]  
** #5: Marcus Damon [USA], Thomas Norstein [Austria], Yoshi Fujieda [Japan]  
#6: Dan Kuso [USA], Shun Kazami [Japan] and Mira Clay [Ireland]

 **Porsche Team [Porsche 919 Hybrid [2016-spec]; Michelin]  
** #7: Eren Jaeger [Germany], Mikasa Ackerman [Japan] and Armin Arlert [Germany]  
#8: Ichigo Kurosaki [Japan], Rukia Kuchiki [Japan] and Orihime Inoue [Japan]

 _ **LMP2:  
**_ **Panis-Barthez Compétition [Ligier-Nissan JS P2; Dunlop]** _ **[ELMS entry - European rounds only]**_ **  
**#23: Rin Hojo [Japan], Go Hojo [Japan] and Shinji Inui [Japan]

 **G-Drive Racing [Ligier-Nissan JS P2; Dunlop]  
** #26: Shota Aleshin [Russia], Mikhail Ivanowski [Russia] and Kirill Lukashevich [Russia]  
#28: Nikolai Grachev [Russia], Mikhail Kvyat [Russia] and Viktor Move [Russia]

 **SMP Racing [BR01-Nissan; Michelin]  
** #27: Yuri Dudukalo [Russia], Dimitri Vita Kouzkin [Russia] and Aleksandr Martsenko [Russia]  
#37: Denis Petrov [Russia], Dmitry Romanov [Russia] and Roman Zlobin [Russia]

 **Tequila Patròn Extreme Speed Motorsports [Ligier-HPD JS P2; Dunlop]  
** #30: Ruby Rose [USA], Weiss Schnee [USA] and Blake Belladonna [USA]  
#31: Jaune Arc [USA], Nora Valkyrie [USA] and Ren Lie [China]

 **Eurasia Motorsport [Oreca-Nissan 05; Dunlop]** _ **[ELMS entry - European rounds only]**_ **  
**#33: Touma Kamijou [Japan], Mikoto Misaka [Japan] and Kuroko Shirai [Japan]

 **OAK Racing [Ligier-Nissan JS P2; Dunlop]  
** #35: Jacques Panciatici [France], Jean-Marc Chantin [France] and Erik Capillaire [France]

 **Signatech Alpine [Alpine-Nissan A460; Dunlop]  
** #36: Randy Carpenter [UK], Kris Wascher [USA] and Cody Hagen [USA]

 **Krohn Racing [Ligier-Nissan JS P2; Michelin]** _ **[ELMS entry - European rounds only]**_ **  
**#40: Ben Tennyson [USA], Gwen Tennyson [USA] and Kevin Levin [USA]

 **Greaves Motorsport [Ligier-Nissan JS P2; Michelin]** _ **[ELMS entry - European rounds only]**_ **  
**#41: Mallory McRae [UK], Charlotte Haywood [USA] and Casper Møller [Denmark]

 **Strakka Racing [Dome-Nissan S103; Dunlop]  
** #42: Simon Leventis [UK], Ryan Watts [UK] and Sam Lancaster [UK]

 **Ricardo Gonzalez Racing Sport by Morand [Ligier-Nissan JS P2; Dunlop]  
** #43: Zoël Bryner [Switzerland], Simona Hurni [Switzerland] and Alain Burri [Switzerland]

 **Manor Motorsport [Oreca-Nissan 05; Michelin]  
** #44: Natalie Blackstone [USA], Alex Minazuki [UK] and Ellen Kurokawa [Japan]

 **Ibanez Racing [Oreca-Nissan 03R; Dunlop]** _ **[ELMS entry - European rounds only]**_ **  
**#45: Andrea Montanari [San Marino], Enrico Meloni [San Marino] and Nicola Lombardi [San Marino]

 **Thiriet by TDS Racing [Oreca-Nissan 05; Dunlop]** _ **[ELMS entry - European rounds only]**_ **  
**#46: Ryosuke Takahashi [Japan], Keisuke Takahashi [Japan] and Takumi Fujiwara [Japan]

 **KCMG [Oreca-Nissan 05; Dunlop]  
** #47: Yu Narukami [Japan], Yosuke Hanamura [Japan] and Chie Satonaka [Japan]

 **Murphy Prototypes [Oreca-Nissan 03R; Dunlop]** _ **[ELMS entry - European rounds only]**_ **  
**#48: Ian Dutta [India], Anthony McCrury [USA] and Tristan Berthon [Guernsey]

 **Michael Shank Racing [Ligier-HPD JS P2; Dunlop]** _ **[IWSCS entry - Le Mans, Suzuka and Americas rounds only]**_ **  
**#49: Uzume Tennouboshi [Japan], Davina Angkahan-Valerio [Philippines] and Ivy Martinez [USA]

 _ **LM GTE-Pro:**_  
 **AF Corse [Ferrari 488 GTE; Michelin]  
** #51: Tom Majors [USA], Kaz Kalinkas [USA] and Sarah Cornwell [USA]  
#71: Nick Tripp [Italy], Toby Tripp [Italy] and Jessica Herleins [Italy]

 **BMW Team Schnitzer [BMW M6 GTLM; Michelin]  
** #55: Will Vandom [Italy], Irma Lair [Italy] and Taranee Cook [Italy]  
#100: Aelita Stones [France], Ulrich Stern [France] and Odd della Robbia [France]

 **Corvette Racing [Chevrolet Corvette C7.R; Michelin]  
** #63: Nigel Uno [UK], Abigail Lincoln [USA] and Wallabee Beatles [Australia]  
#64: Marco Diaz [Brazil], Matt Quinlan [USA] and Kim Possible [USA]

 **Ford Performance Chip Ganassi Racing - Team UK [Ford GT GTE; Michelin]  
** #66: Phineas Flynn [USA], Ferb Fletcher [UK] and Isabella Garcia-Shapiro [Spain]  
#67: Candace Flynn [USA], Stacy Hirano [Japan] and Jeremy Johnson [USA]

 **Ford Performance Chip Ganassi Racing - Team USA [Ford GT GTE; Michelin]** _ **[IWSCS entry - Le Mans, Suzuka and Americas rounds only]**_ **  
**#68: Jim Eligino [USA], Jamiebel Angkahan [USA/Philippines] and Nepgear Murosaki [Japan]  
#69: Frédéric Loeb [France], Viggo Ogier [Belgium] and Uni Kurohime [Japan]

 **Risi Competizione [Ferrari 488 GTE; Michelin]** _**[IWSCS entry - Le Mans, Suzuka and Americas rounds only]**_  
#82: Klaara Rintamäki [Finland], Elly Rönnholm [Finland] and Vert Midorikawa [USA]

 **Lexus Team Petronas [Lexus LFA GTE; Michelin]  
** #86: Yuichiro Amane [Japan], Shinoa Hiiragi [Japan] and Yoichi Saotome [Japan]  
#87: Lelouch Lampérouge _(Lelouch vi Britannia)_ [France], Suzaku Kururugi [Japan] and Kallen Städtfeld [Germany]

 **Porsche Team Manthey [Porsche 911 RSR; Michelin]  
** #91: Tommy Pickles [USA], Kimi Finster [USA] and Phil DeVille [USA]  
#92: Randy Cunningham [USA], Howard Weinerman [USA] and Heidi Weinerman [USA]

 **Aston Martin Racing [Aston Martin Vantage V8; Michelin]  
** #95: Jaden Yuki [Japan], Syrus Truesdale [USA] and Alexis Rhodes [USA]  
#97: Yusei Fudo [Japan], Jack Atlas [USA] and Akiza Izinski [Poland]  
#99: Yuya Sakaki [Japan], Zuzu Boyle [USA] and Sora Shinunin [Japan]

 **West Surrey Racing (with IHG Rewards Club) [BMW M6 GTLM; Michelin]  
** #111: Momoko Hanasaki [Japan], Scarlet O'Hara [Denmark] and Yuri Tanima [Japan]

 _ **LM GTE-Am:  
**_ **Larbre Compétition [Chevrolet Corvette C7.R; Michelin]  
** #50: Cathy Smith [France], Chris Lang [France] and Daniel Jackson [France]

 **Team AAI [Chevrolet Corvette C7.R; Michelin]** _ **[AsLMS entry - Le Mans, Austin and Asian rounds only]**_ **  
**#56: Kaz Gordon [Singapore], Fiona Ryder [Singapore] and Myron Seagrams [Singapore]  
#57: Kevin Lin [Taiwan], Adderly O'Young [Hong Kong] and Rodolfo Ho [Macau]

 **Clearwater Racing [Ferrari F458 Italia GT2; Michelin]** _ **[AsLMS entry - Le Mans, Austin and Asian rounds only]**_ **  
**#58: Makoto Yuki [Japan], Mitsuru Kirijo [Japan] and Akihiko Sanada [Japan]

 **TDS Racing [Aston Martin Vantage V8; Michelin]** _ **[ELMS entry - European rounds only]**_ **  
**#59: Madoka Kaname [Japan], Sayaka Miki [Japan] and Mami Tomoe [Japan]

 **Formula Racing [Ferrari F458 Italia GT2; Michelin]** _ **[ELMS entry - European rounds only]**_ **  
**#60: Koga Pegasus [Greece], Souma Lionet [Spain] and Yuna Aquila [Russia]

 **AF Corse [Ferrari F458 Italia GT2; Michelin]  
** #61: John Cittando [Italy], Christopher Cole [USA] and James McCloud [USA]  
#81: Lok Lambert [Italy], Sophie Casterwill [Italy] and Zhalia Moon [Italy]

 **Scuderia Corsa [Ferrari F458 Italia GT2; Michelin]  
** #62: Kimiko Tohomiko [Japan], Raimundo Pedrosa [Brazil] and Clay Bailey [USA]

 **SMP Racing [Ferrari F458 Italia GT2; Michelin]  
** #72: Markko Tänak [Estonia], Per-Gunnar Peterson [Sweden] and Tommy Moen [Norway]

 **Porsche Team Dempsey-Proton [Porsche 911 RSR; Michelin]  
** #77: Ryuko Matoi [Japan], Robert Pieete [Holland] and Hunter Steele [Canada]

 **KCMG [Porsche 911 RSR; Michelin]  
** #78: Neptune Murosaki [Japan], Noire Kurohime [Japan] and Blanc Shirona [Japan]

 **Porsche Team Abu Dhabi-Proton [Porsche 911 RSR; Michelin]  
** #88: Guy Hamdon [Australia], James Silverfox [Germany] and Vale Pepelo [New Zealand]

 **Aston Martin Racing [Aston Martin Vantage V8; Michelin]  
** #96: Cloud Strife [USA], Aerith Gainsborough [USA] and Tifa Lockhart [USA]  
#98: Scott Tracy [UK], Virgil Tracy [UK] and Gordon Tracy [UK]

 _ **Animes/Cartoons/Videogames involved:  
**_ _ **LMP1:**_

 **Audi Sport Team Joest:  
** Sailor Moon [Tsukino, Mizuno and Hino]  
Magic Knight Rayearth [Shidou, Ryuuzaki, Hououji]

 **Toyota Gazoo Racing:  
** Digimon [Kamiya, Ishida, Takenouchi]  
Bakugan Battle Brawlers [Kuso, Kazami, Clay]

 **Porsche Team:  
** Attack on Titan [Jaeger, Ackerman, Arlert]  
Bleach [Kurosaki, Kuchiki, Inoue]

 _ **LMP2:**_

 **Panis-Barthez Compétition:  
** Initial D [Sidewinder – Rin & Go Hojo, Inui]

 **Thiriet by TDS Racing:  
** Initial D [Project.D – Ryosuke & Keisuke Takahashi, Fujiwara]

 **Tequila Patròn Extreme Speed Motorsports:  
** RWBY [Rose, Schnee, Belladonna, Arc, Valkyrie, Lie]

 **Eurasia Motorsport:  
** A Certain Magical Index/A Certain Scientific Railgun [Kamijou, Misaka, Shirai]

 **Krohn Racing:  
** Ben 10 series [Ben & Gwen Tennyson, Levin]

 **Manor Motorsport [not to be confused with F1's Manor** _ **Racing**_ **]:  
** Pretty Cure series [Blackstone, Kurokawa]

 **KCMG:  
** Persona 4 [Narukami, Hanamura, Satonaka]

 **Michael Shank Racing:  
** Megadimension Neptunia VII/Hyperdimension Neptunia series [Tennouboshi]

 _ **GTE-Pro:**_

 **AF Corse – Pro:  
** Chaotic (4kids TV series) [Majors, Kalinkas, Cornwell]  
Gormiti – The Lords of Nature [Nick & Toby Tripp, Herleins]

 **BMW Team Schnitzer:  
** W.I.T.C.H. [Vandom, Lair, Cook]  
Code Lyoko [Stones, Stern, della Robbia]

 **Corvette Racing:  
** Codename: K.N.D. [Uno, Lincoln, Beatles]  
Star vs. The Forces of Evil [Diaz]  
Kim Possible [Possible]  
CyberChase [Quinlan]

 **Ford Performance Chip Ganassi Racing - Team UK:  
** Phineas and Ferb [Phineas & Candace Flynn, Fletcher, Garcia-Shapiro, Hirano, Johnson]

 **Ford Performance Chip Ganassi Racing - Team USA:  
** Hyperdimension Neptunia series [Nepgear (Murosaki)*, Uni (Kurohime)*]

 **Risi Competizione:  
** Hyperdimension Neptunia series [Vert (Midorikawa)*]

 **Lexus Team Petronas:  
** Owari no Seraph [Amane, Hiiragi, Saotome]  
Code Geass [Lampérouge/vi Britannia, Kururugi, Städtfeld]

 **Porsche Team Manthey:  
** All Grown Up! _(Rugrats spin-off)_ [Pickles, Finster, DeVille]  
Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja [Cunningham, Howard & Heidi Weinerman]

 **Aston Martin Racing – Pro:  
** Yu-Gi-Oh! GX [J. Yuki, Truesdale, Rhodes]  
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's [Fudo, Atlas, Izinski]  
Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V [Sakaki, Boyle, and Shinunin]

 **West Surrey Racing:  
** Wedding Peach [Hanasaki, O'Hara, Tanima]

 _ **GTE-Am:**_

 **Larbre Compétition:  
** Monster Buster Club [Smith, Lang, Jackson]

 **Team AAI:  
** Scan2Go [Gordon, Ryder, Seagrams]

 **Clearwater Racing:  
** Persona 3 [M. Yuki, Kirijo, Sanada]

 **TDS Racing:  
** Puella Magi Madoka Magica [Kaname, Miki, Tomoe]

 **Formula Racing:  
** Saint Seiya [Pegasus, Lionet, Aquila]

 **AF Corse – Am:  
** Huntik [Lambert, Casterwill, Moon]

 **Scuderia Corsa:  
** Xiaolin Showdown/Xiaolin Chronicles [Tohomiko, Pedrosa, Bailey]

 **Porsche Team Dempsey-Proton:  
** Kill la Kill [Matoi]  
Spider Riders [Steele]

 **KCMG:  
** Hyperdimension Neptunia series [Neptune (Murosaki)*, Noire (Kurohime)*, Blanc (Shirona)*]

 **Porsche Team Abu Dhabi-Proton:  
** SheZow [Hamdon]  
bro'Town [Pepelo]

 **Aston Martin Racing – Am:  
** Final Fantasy series [Strife, Gainsborough, Lockhart]  
Thunderbirds Are Go (2015) [Scott, Gordon & Virgil Tracy]

 _ **Original Characters involved:**_

 _ **LMP2:**_

 **G-Drive Racing:** Aleshin, Ivanowski, Lukashevich, Grachev, Kvyat, Move

 **SMP Racing:** Dudukalo, Vita Kouzkin, Martsenko, Petrov, Romanov, Zlobin

 **OAK Racing:** Panciatici, Chantin, Capillaire

 **Signatech Alpine:** Carpenter, Wascher, Hagen

 **Greaves Motorsport:** McRae, Haywood, Møller

 **Strakka Racing:** Leventis, Watts, Lancaster

 ** **RGR** Sport by Morand: ** Bryner, Hurni, Burri

 **Manor Motorsport:** Minazuki

 **Ibanez Racing:** Montanari, Meloni, Lombardi

 **Murphy Prototypes:** Dutta, McCrury, Berthon

 **Michael Shank Racing:** Valerio, Martinez

 _ **GTE-Pro:**_

 **Ford Performance Chip Ganassi Racing - Team USA:** Eligino, Angkahan, Loeb, Ogier

 **Risi Competizione:** Rintamäki, Rönnholm

 _ **GTE-Am:**_

 **Team AAI:** Lin, O'Young, Ho

 **AF Corse – Am:** Cittando, Cole, McCloud

 **SMP Racing:** Tänak, Peterson, Moen

 **Porsche Team Dempsey-Proton:** Pieete **  
**

 **Porsche Team Abu Dhabi-Proton:** Silverfox  
===============================

 **Teams' Technical Alliances:**

 _ **LMP2:**_  
 **OAK Racing (#35)** \- with **G-Drive Racing (#26 and #28), Tequila Patròn ESM (#30 and #31), RGR Sport by Morand (#43)** and **Michael Shank Racing (#49)**  
 **Greaves Motorsport (#41)** \- with **Krohn Racing (#40)**  
 **KCMG (#47)** \- with **Manor Motorsport (#44)**

 _ **GTE-Pro  
**_ **AF Corse (#51 and #71)** \- with **Risi Competizione (#82)**  
 **BMW Team Schnitzer (#55 and #100)** \- with **West Surrey Racing (#111)**

 _ **GTE-Am:**_ _  
_ **Porsche Team Dempsey- (#77)** & **Abu Dhabi-Proton (#88)** \- with **KCMG (#78)**  
 **AF Corse (#61 and #81)** \- with **Clearwater Racing (#58) and Scuderia Corsa (#62)**

 **SERIES CALENDAR:**  
Round 1: 6 Hours of Silverstone [17 April]  
Round 2: WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps [7 May]  
Round 3: 24 Hours of Le Mans [18-19 June]  
Round 4: 6 Hours of the Nürburgring [24 July]  
Round 5: 6 Hours of Mexico City [3 September]  
Round 6: 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas [17 September]  
Round 7: 12 Hours of Suzuka [16 October]  
Round 8: 6 Hours of Shanghai [12 November]

 **With all of that settled, I'll see you at Silverstone! If you like, leave a review (make sure it's constructive criticism), favorite it, follow it, share it - whatever you do, and I hope you guys enjoy the series!**

 **To close out, I'll use one of my favorite Youtubers' quotes, Adam Johnson of Team Bombersports/Bombersports Plays:**

 _ **"Bring the Noise!"**_


	3. Round 1: 6 Hours of Silverstone

It's here! The wait is finally over - time to start a new season of endurance-racing action! This is the FIA Toon World Endurance Championship of 2016, and it all starts here at Silverstone, in the good old United Kingdom. With all the testing out of the way, let's see who's off to the races with their cars! This is the 6 Hours of Silverstone!

Here's how our competitors will start (by class) - starting drivers in the bold:

 ** _LMP1:  
_** 1\. #1: Tsukino/Mizuno/ **Hino  
** 2\. #7: Jaeger/ **Ackerman** /Arlert  
3\. #8: Kurosaki/Kuchiki/ **Inoue  
** 4\. #5: Damon/Norstein/ **Fujieda  
** 5\. #6: Kuso/Kazami/ **Clay  
** 6\. #2: Shidou/ **Ryuuzaki** /Hououji

 ** _LMP2:  
_** 1\. #44: **Blackstone** /Minazuki/Kurokawa [LMP2 Polesitter]  
2\. #30: **Rose** /Schnee/Belladonna  
3\. #47: Narukami/ **Hanamura** /Satonaka  
4\. #31: Arc/Valkyrie/ **Lie  
** 5\. #28: **Grachev** /Kvyat/Move  
6\. #27: Dudukalo/Kouzkin/ **Martsenko  
** 7\. #37: Petrov/ **Romanov** /Zlobin  
8\. #42: Leventis/Watts/ **Lancaster  
** 9\. #26: **Aleshin** /Ivanowski/Lukashevich  
10\. #43: Bryner/ **Hurni** /Burri  
11\. #33: **Kamijou** /Misaka/Shirai  
12\. #23: R. Hojo/G. Hojo/ **Inui  
** 13\. #41: McRae/ **Haywood** /Møller  
14\. #40: B. Tennyson/G. Tennyson/ **Levin  
** 15\. #45: Montanari/Meloni/ **Lombardi  
** 16\. #48: **Dutta** /McCrury/Berthon  
17\. #46: R. Takahashi/ **K. Takahashi** /Fujiwara  
18\. #35: Panciatici/Chantin/ **Capillaire  
** 19\. #36: **Carpenter** /Wascher/Hagen

 ** _GTE-Pro:  
_** 1\. #100: Stones/Stern/ **della Robbia** [GTE-Pro Polesitter]  
2\. #111: Hanasaki/ **O'Hara** /Tanima  
3\. #91: Pickles/ **Finster** /DeVille  
4\. #97: Fudo/Atlas/ **Izinski  
** 5\. #66: P. Flynn/ **Fletcher** /Garcia-Shapiro  
6\. #87: Lampérouge/Kururugi/ **Stadtfeld  
** 7\. #64: Diaz/ **Quinlan** /Possible  
8\. #51: Majors/ **Kalinkas** /Cornwell  
9\. #71: N. Tripp/T. Tripp/ **Herleins  
** 10\. #55: Vandom/ **Lair** /Cook  
11\. #92: Cunningham/ **Weinerman** /He. Weinerman  
12\. #86: Amane/ **Hiiragi** /Saotome  
13\. #67: **C. Flynn** /Hirano/Johnson  
14\. #63: Uno/Lincoln/ **Beatles  
** 15\. #95: J. Yuki/ **Truesdale** /Rhodes  
16\. #99: **Sakaki** /Boyle/Shinunin

 ** _GTE-Am:  
_** 1\. #96: Strife/ **Gainsborough** /Lockhart [GTE-Am Polesitter]  
2\. #77: Matoi/Pieete/ **Steele  
** 3\. #98: S. Tracy/ **V. Tracy** /G. Tracy  
4\. #61: Cittando/ **Cole** /McCloud  
5\. #78: Murosaki/Kurohime/ **Shirona  
** 6\. #72: **Tänak** /Peterson/Moen  
7\. #50: Smith/ **Lang** /Jackson  
8\. #62: **Tohomiko** /Pedrosa/Bailey  
9\. #81: Lambert/Casterwill/ **Moon  
** 10\. #88: Hamdon/Silverfox/ **Pepelo  
** 11\. #60: Pegasus/ **Lionet** /Aquila

 ** _Did not attend:_**  
 ** _(GTE-Am)_** #59: Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki and Mami Tomoe **_[Transportation issues - delay of their ferry from Norway]_**

 ** _Weather: Light rain (Start to Hour 1), Clear (Hour 2 to Hour 5), Heavy rain (to the Finish) _**

_Your WEC commentators - for the European races, anyway - will be the usual duo from Motors Channel: Ben Edwards (current F1, WEC and ex-BTCC commentator) with John Watson (former F1 racer turned WEC commentator). Take it away, guys!_

Ben Edwards: The New Year ushers in, and with it, new cars, new drivers and new opportunities for everyone to achieve glory in some of the toughest and the longest races motorsport has ever seen, from here in Great Britain, to the Americas and the Far East. This is the 2016 FIA Cartoon World Endurance Championship - and we're here on a beautiful day in Northamptonshire for round one of the FIA Cartoon WEC, the 6 Hours of Silverstone!

Good afternoon, everyone, I'm Ben Edwards, and always alongside me is John Watson, ex-F1 racer, and my usual partner in the booth.

John, after last year's incredible finale, which saw Serena Tsukino and Audi Sport Team Joest take an upset championship over the hard-charging Eren Jaeger and Porsche Team, and the recent news of an increase in entries for Le Mans, because of the ACO's plan to extend the pit lane at La Sarthe means 60 entries, up from 53 last year for the season; we've seen more teams come in - some new, some old - that we had to split up the roster for each section of the endurance-racing world, until Le Mans.

For now, who's who on your radar?

John Watson: For the LMP1 guys, it's honestly looking like Porsche is the favored team – their real-life counterparts wrapped up the championship pretty early; with the technical advice going to the toon guys, we'll see if they can topple the Audi juggernaut.

But don't discount Toyota – new car, new possibilities; they did drop a couple of cylinders on their new TS050's engine, but they turbocharged it and got rid of the supercapacitor, opting for a more practical KERS battery-storage idea. Add that to the jump to the 8-megajoule class, and they could spoil the German party.

Then you have the LMP2 field – with the new regulations coming in 2017, in which Dallara and Riley-Multimatic join the established duo of Oreca and Onroak to be the main four P2 makers in the category, you're bound to see a mix of old and new chassis battling it out.

Right now, Extreme Speed Motorsports seems to be the heavy favorite, after winning at Daytona, but let's not forget their stablemates at G-Drive, the other Ligier chassis teams, the one-season wonders of SMP Racing, the hard-working KCMG, and the motorsports phoenix known as Manor Motorsport.

For the GTE classes, though, it literally is a case of "pick your poison"; we've seen the Pro class' qualifying, and every single one of them came within, at the most, three-quarters of a second, from first to last.

The driver quality is also stacked beyond dreams – and this is just Silverstone! Wait until we get to Le Mans; we're in for a wild ride for them!

The Am class may be running cars of years past, but they are, by no means, dull as a dullard; they've also got big talent coming through the ranks, from the Tracy brothers to Ryuko Matoi, and even Cloud Strife to Neptune Murosaki – one second separating the top from the bottom in qualifying, means no lack of action - or talent - from either GTE class!

Ben Edwards: John's clearly as hyped as I am, as we get ready for the start of six hours here at the cathedral of British speed. First off, though, here comes the British national anthem for the British drivers and teams on the grid.

 ** _("God Save the Queen")_**

Ben: As the cars begin their pace lap, we take a quick look at our Tag Heuer Starting Grid; Audi starting their season on the right foot with Serena Tsukino, Rei Hino and Ami Mizuno leading the pack, with last year's runner-up, Porsche and Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert not too far behind.

LMP2 has the top two prospects of Manor and ESM coming out guns a-blazing, with Natalie Blackstone, Alex Minazuki and Ellen Kurokawa leading the RWBY trio of Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna.

In the GTE-Pro class, it's an all-BMW front row, with the factory Team Schnitzer, led by Aelita Stones, ahead of the home-crowd favourite, West Surrey Racing and Momoko Hanasaki. They lead out Kimi Finster from Porsche Team Manthey, Akiza Izinski of Aston Martin Racing, and a returning home face in the form of Ford-Chip Ganassi Racing's Ferb Fletcher.

Into the GTE-Am field, Aston Martin Racing's junior trio of Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough and Tifa Lockhart beat out Dempsey-Proton's Ryuko Matoi, Robert Pieete and Hunter Steele. Behind them, a battle for the third position between the Aston's Tracy Brothers, AF Corse's Maverick Trio, led by James McCloud, and KCMG's Neptunia Trio, led by Neptune Murosaki, making for some good sparks even before the race.

Unfortunately, the hype for a Neptunia-Madoka duel won't be realized yet, as the news from TDS Racing is that they would miss the Silverstone round, due to their transport in Norway hitting a delay. They did say they will make the round in Spa to make up for the shortcomings, so keep your fingers crossed there.

Freddie Hunt, one of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series drivers this year and the son of 1976 F1 champion James Hunt, is the guest of honor and official flag waver for Silverstone... here come Rei Hino and Mikasa Ackerman around the last corner - green flag in the air! THE 2016 WEC SEASON IS UNDERWAY!

 ** _(Start of 6 hours (360 min))_**

Ben: And right off the bat, look at the #7 Porsche 919 of Mikasa Ackerman – he's off to a flyer of a start, getting the jump on Rei Hino! And look at Yoshi Fujieda – he's right on their back bumpers! Obviously, there's no lack of action with their teammates, as Orihime Inoue and Mira Clay go wheel-to-wheel!

Over to LMP2, and Yosuke Hanamura gets a good start, but look at Natalie Blackstone – taking advantage of the light rain, and off to the races she goes!

Meanwhile, further back in the field, just look at the Ligier and Oreca for Panis-Barthez and Eurasia Motorsport; Touma Kamijou and Shinji Inui just slicing through the field pretty easily!

GTE-Pro just started, and look at Scarlet O'Hara! She's making a good case for herself, beating her fellow BMW teammate, Odd della Robbia off the bat!

There's Ferb Fletcher, also making up a few positions in that Ford GT; he's taking advantage of that rain, and making up a couple positions!

On to GTE-Am, and it's looking like a Porsche-Aston shootout right from the off, as Hunter Steele takes advantage of the bad start by Aerith Gainsborough, as does Gainsborough's teammate, Virgil Tracy, and Steele's stablemate at KCMG, Blanc Shirona!

As we complete the first lap of Silverstone, it is Mikasa Ackerman who will lead the first lap of the season!

 ** _(56 minutes of 6 hrs (360 min))_**

Ben: And there's the #86 of Shinoa Hiiragi, into the tyre bundle with the #72 of Markko Tänak!

Hiiragi's got some moderately heavy damage on the side of his car, and Tänak's got most of the impact on the front! What happened there?

John: Let's take a look at the replay...

...Ooh! Turns out, the move was self-inflicted on Hiiragi's part - he tried to go for an ambitious overtake on the Estonian; Tänak tried to defend, and accidentally crossed Hiiragi's racing line... and sent them both across the gravel and into the bundle.

Ben: Looks to be the day over for both of them; not the best start to the season at all for Hiiragi and Tänak.

Safety car is out, and that means it's time for everyone to come into the pits; currently, the P1 race order is Porsche-Audi-Toyota, Toyota-Porsche-Audi; Mikasa Ackerman leads the field of LMP1s, followed by Hino, then Fujieda; Mira Clay and Orihime Inoue round out the top five in P1.

Meanwhile, in the LMP2 category, it is Oreca-Ligier-Ligier-Oreca-BR being the top five in the race order; Yosuke Hanamura of Paul Ip's KCMG team leads the P2 contingent, followed by Ruby Rose and Extreme Speed Motorsports, and Nikolai Grachev and G-Drive; Natalie Blackstone and Dimitri Romanov round out the top five for P2.

John: Here come the prototypes, to the pits, to make their fuel stops and first driver changes.

Very efficient work done by the Porsche guys to get their guy out first, but it will be Marcus Damon and the Toyota TS050 out first, followed by Armin Arlert and Serena Tsukino for the LMP1s!

Ben: Meanwhile in LMP2, Chie Satonaka retains the lead for KCMG, followed by Alex Minazuki and Weiss Schnee for Manor and ESM!

And an ambitious job done well by Krohn and Greaves and for their drivers, Ben Tennyson and Casper Møller, as they round out the top five for the LMP2s!

 ** _Top 5 (LMP1 and LMP2)_**

 **LMP1:**  
1\. Marcus Damon (#5)  
2\. Armin Arlert (#7)  
3\. Serena Tsukino (#1)  
4\. Dan Kuso (#6)  
5\. Fuu Hououji (#2)

 **LMP2:**  
1\. Chie Satonaka (#47)  
2\. Alex Minazuki (#44)  
3\. Weiss Schnee (#30)  
4\. Ben Tennyson (#40)  
5\. Casper Møller (#41)

Ben: Here come the GTE cars; currently Aston-Porsche-BMW-Ford-BMW, the Pro top five - Akiza Izinski taking the most advantage of her seat time here, ahead of Kimi Finster, Scarlet O'Hara, Ferb Fletcher and Odd della Robbia.

A good dogfight happening between the hometown hero Fletcher and BMW's della Robbia.

John: Meanwhile, in GTE-Am, the top five is Porsche-Aston-Aston-Porsche-Corvette; KCMG's Blanc Shirona biding her time in the early moments of the race with her stablemate at Dempsey, Hunter Steele, to grab the lead from the two Astons of Virgil Tracy and Aerith Gainsborough, setting the stage for a good battle between Aston and Porsche.

Meanwhile, that Corvette of Chris Lang is just waiting on any of those four to slip up and take advantage.

Ben: Alright here they come; into the pits they go - who's gonna be the first one out?

Looks like Yusei Fudo is the first one out, followed by Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, the BMWs and Kim Possible's Corvette C7.R!

Meanwhile, it'll be a Porsche 1-2 out of the pits, followed by an Aston 3-4; Neptune Murosaki and Ryuko Matoi beat out Gordon Tracy and Tifa Lockhart to the pit exit; and here comes that Scuderia Corsa Ferrari of Raimundo Pedrosa, rounding out the top five!

 ** _Top 5 (GTE-Pro and GTE-Am)_**

 **GTE-Pro:**  
1\. Yusei Fudo (#97)  
2\. Isabella Garcia-Shapiro (#66)  
3\. Yuri Tanima (#111)  
4\. Aelita Stones (#100)  
5\. Kim Possible (#64)

 **GTE-Am:**  
1\. Neptune Murosaki (#78)  
2\. Ryuko Matoi (#77)  
3\. Tifa Lockhart (#96)  
4\. Gordon Tracy (#98)  
5\. Raimundo Pedrosa (#62)

John: Everyone's back under starters' orders… green flag in the air, and we are back underway!

And the afterburners are on for Marcus Damon – he's off like a rocket, and just behind him are Arlert, Tsukino and teammate Dan Kuso! The LMP1s really are cooking with fire on the front burner now!

And just look at Arlert – the acceleration of that 919 means he blasts by Damon down the Wellington Straight – but look at Damon and Tsukino, as they close gap to Arlert almost immediately!

Ben: And just look at Damon – he's going around the outside of Arlert, and the Toyota TS050 goes to the lead again, as we head down to Copse Corner! And this time, Tsukino grabs the lead from Damon!

We're not even ten minutes in to the restart, and we've already got a massive start right off the bat - they're racing like it was the last hour in the race! You may be apologized for thinking this is F1, this is indeed the FIA World Endurance Championship!

 ** _(130 minutes of 360 – 2h10m of 6hrs)_**

John: We've got a car off into the gravel and the wall at Luffield – that's the #81 Ferrari of Sophie Casterwill!

She's exiting the car, puts two thumbs up – she's okay; but that Ferrari 488 GTE is more or less done. Bad luck for Casterwill; she's taken in by the on-track crew into the recovery truck.

We are now under Code 60 for the sector her car is in; the cars in that sector can't exceed any faster than 60 kilometers per hour, or 37 miles an hour for our international viewers, akin to the "virtual safety car" in Formula 1, for safety reasons.

That sector will remain under Code 60 for however long it takes to remove the car from the track; the rest of the track is unrestricted.

And you can see exactly the effect of the Code 60 has right now; Eren Jaeger just caught up to the bumper of Thomas Norstein, and just look at how quickly that gap gets wider - but Jaeger will not let Norstein out of his sights! It'll be a battle for the lead, deep into the race!

Ben: Over to LMP2, and look at this four-way battle for the lead - two Ligier chassis vs. two Oreca chassis! Mallory McRae, Ellen Kurokawa, Yu Narukami and Blake Belladonna, all fighting it out for class honors!

Kurokawa leads the race, but look at Narukami and McRae!

Either side of Kurokawa at the front straight, and Narukami is the one ahead of McRae - incredible stuff by the silver-haired wonder, and for KCMG!

 **(#47 Team Radio – KCMG, LMP2)  
** Yu: _Spa, 2000, anyone?_

Ben: And he ends it up with a witty reference! Well done to the man!

 ** _(160 minutes of 360 - 2h40m of 6hrs)_**

John: There's the #47 of Yu Narukami - and he's gone and beached it in the gravel! Not something you'd expect from the Comeback King - let's see what happened here.

Ben: Oh, dear - looks like one of his wheels locked up when he was under braking; couldn't quite control it back onto the track, and off he slid, into the gravel.

 **(#47 Team Radio – KCMG, LMP2)  
** Paul Ip (team owner): _You okay, Narukami?_  
Yu: _Yeah, I'm still good - car's not doing too hot, though. Seemed like a brake failure to me._  
Paul: _No prob. We'll get that fixed in time for Spa. Good work, but tough luck, man._  
Yu: _10-4._

Ben: Narukami sounding pretty frustrated with the end result, but still coming off a better man.

We are now under Code 60 for sector 2 - this will allow most of the drivers in each class to catch up, except when they enter the zone. As we see a view of the Ford garage breathing a sigh of relief, as their driver, Phineas Flynn, approaches said zone with Corvette's Marco Diaz in front.

John: Speaking of Ford drivers, looking into the garage, there's Neptune's younger sister, Nepgear Murosaki, alongside Jim Eligino, as they watch the race; both racing in the IMSA sportscar series for - surprise, surprise - Ford Performance Chip Ganassi Racing.

The younger Nep and Eligino are expected to make their WEC debut at Le Mans with the team's IMSA branch later this year, alongside Eligino's friend and teammate, Jamiebel Angkahan, as part of Ford's four-car attack on La Sarthe.

All the best to them – as we see Flynn take Diaz at Vale Corner! Ford leads in GTE-Pro for the first time in the WEC! But here comes Diaz on the switchback at Club Corner; can he pull it off...?

Yes, he can! Put Diaz and Corvette back into the lead of the race; but I take that back almost immediately! Flynn takes Diaz back at Village - this is gonna go on for quite a while!

 ** _(175 minutes of 360 - 2h55m of 6hrs)_**

Ben: Uh-oh, we've got problems for one of our LMP1 competitors… and that looks like one of the Porsches! That's Ichigo Kurosaki in the #8 Porsche 919, one of our top runners!

John: My presumption is that he's out-braked himself, coming into Stowe – let's check out the replay.

Whoa, Kurosaki coming out of the Hangar straight with a rate of knots – as expected of Porsche's acceleration advantage on the straights – yeah, he just out-braked himself, as he skips along the gravel and into the tire barrier.

 **(#8 Team Radio – Porsche, LMP1)  
** Ichigo: _Whoops, sorry, guys. I'm used to fast cars - just not used to cars_ this _fast-accelerating._

Ben: Well, he better get acclimated to that acceleration of that 919; with that car, it's more like a warp-speed pedal!

Safety car is out again, and here comes the field; this'll give us a good chance to catch you up with who's leading.

In LMP1, the order is Porsche-Toyota-Audi-Audi-Toyota; Eren Jaeger in the lead, with Thomas Norstein and Toyota undercutting the Audi of Ami Mizuno in the pits – Fuu Hououji and Shun Kazami filling out our five.

John: P2 saw quite a big battle between the top five, with the top five being Oreca-Ligier-Ligier-Ligier-Oreca; Ellen Kurokawa and Mallory McRae, for Manor and Greaves, respectively, currently lead ESM's Blake Belladonna, Krohn's Gwen Tennyson and Kuroko Shirai, from WEC debutantes Eurasia Motorsport.

Ben: GTE-Pro finally coming to old battles; its top five is Porsche-Chevrolet-Ford-Ferrari-Aston, with Tommy Pickles of Team Manthey leading Marco Diaz and Ford-CGR's Phineas Flynn, AF Corse's Tom Majors and Aston's self-proclaimed "Master of Faster," Jack Atlas.

John: Rounding out our review is the GTE-Am class being Aston-Porsche-Ferrari-Porsche-Aston; Scott Tracy, out of the Aston camp, has really come alive and took the fight to the Porsches, leading Robert Pieete from Dempsey-Proton.

Clay Bailey is also coming up clutch, as he caught the KCMG Porsche of Noire Kurohime and Aston junior team's Cloud Strife unawares as well, taking the third position.

Into the pits go the prototypes; who will be the first one out?

Ben: Quick work done by Audi, and they get Rei Hino and their star car out first, followed by Mira Clay and Toyota! Hikaru Shidou and Mikasa Ackerman round out the top five!

And a look at the LMP2 contingent; the top two of Manor and Greaves hasn't changed – Natalie Blackstone and Charlotte Haywood leading the pack – but the three filling out the top five have changed; Roman Zlobin in the #27 BR01 for SMP Racing beat out the Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca of Keisuke Takahashi and the ESM Ligier of Ruby Rose!

 **LMP1:**  
1\. Rei Hino (#1)  
2\. Mira Clay (#6)  
3\. Hikaru Shidou (#2)  
4\. Yoshi Fujieda (#5)  
5\. Mikasa Ackerman (#7)

 **LMP2:**  
1\. Natalie Blackstone (#44)  
2\. Charlotte Haywood (#41)  
3\. Roman Zlobin (#27)  
4\. Ruby Rose (#30)  
5\. Keisuke Takahashi (#46)

Ben: And here come the GTE guys; who will be the first one out for them?

And it's going to be the BMW M6 of Scarlet O'Hara who beats out the Porsche 911 of Kimi Finster, with Kallen Städtfelt and her Lexus LFA edging out the Ford GT of Ferb Fletcher – and here comes Matt Quinlan in that Corvette!

Oh! There's a bit of a fire in the pit-lane for the Aston camp; they've put it out pretty quickly, and the #96 and #99 are away! Let's take a look at replay to see what happened…

John: Well, there's your problem - Sora Shinunin was so excited to get out and race, that he just slightly jumped the fueling hose, and the car just ignited the small fuel. Well done to the men at the Aston pits for putting out the fire quickly before it built.

Ben: Takes some real guts to work in the pits during a race.

But for the GTE-Am guys, despite the fire, it's Virgil Tracy who comes out first, followed by the three Porsche 911s of Vale Papelo, Hunter Steele and Blanc Shirona, and the Ferrari F458 of Kimiko Tohomiko rounds out the top five!

 **GTE-Pro:**  
1\. Scarlet O'Hara (#111)  
2\. Kimi Finster (#91)  
3\. Kallen Städtfelt (#87)  
4\. Ferb Fletcher (#66)  
5\. Matt Quinlan (#64)

 **GTE-Am:**  
1\. Virgil Tracy (#98)  
2\. Vale Papelo (#88)  
3\. Guy Hamdon (#77)  
4\. Blanc Shirona (#78)  
5\. Kimiko Tohomiko (#62)

 ** _(275 minutes of 360 – 4h35m of 6hrs)_**

John: The Krohn Ligier is going into the pits – this is odd. What for? Let's take a look at the earlier team radio.

 **(#40 Team Radio – Krohn Racing, LMP2)  
** Tracy Krohn (team owner): _Alright, Ben, go ahead and retire the car, retire the car. The oil pressure has taken a huge problem, but we don't quite know what it is._  
Ben (Tennyson): _10-4 – I think Kevin kinda told me there; we got in some good running – but just make sure it doesn't happen again, guys. We gotta be competing at the top._  
Tracy: _I feel you there._ _We all wanna compete, man._

Ben: Tennyson sounded pretty content with retiring, but it will be day over for the Krohn team. They looked pretty good out there – can their partners at Greaves Motorsport put in some sort of compensation?

Oh, and look at this, the Panis-Barthez Ligier of Rin Hojo is also retiring! What's going on for him?

 **(#23 Team Radio – Panis-Barthez Compétition, LMP2)  
** Rin: _Sorry, guys – I just felt the engine go a little wonky; I think the electronics may be acting up._  
Olivier Panis (team co-owner): _Alright. Box it, we're gonna retire the car. You think we have a chance next race?_  
Rin: _Of course we will – we got some good running. We just gotta keep this form up and edge out the reliability problems._

John: So that's also day over for Panis-Barthez! Soon enough, this'll turn into a battle of reliability; with only an hour left in the race, who will come out on top for each of the classes here?

 ** _(332 minutes of 360 - 5h32m of 6hrs)_**

John: Uh-oh – that looks to be the #61 AF Corse Ferrari of James McCloud getting it a bit wrong, and he's into the gravel; he's out pretty quickly, maybe with a bit of gravel in the radiator, but will he continue?

…No, it doesn't seem like it; he's not going to take the risk, instead heading into the pits and calling it a day!

Ben: Whoa! And there's a plume of smoke – that looks like one of the Toyotas, perhaps?

John: No, wait – that's the remaining Porsche 919! Eren Jaeger's engine has blown, and he's pulling across to the side of the road!

This is a massive surprise – two retirements inside five minutes, and one of them being the runner-ups in last year's season; not the best start for these guys.

 **(#7 Team Radio – Porsche, LMP1)  
** Eren: _Oh, boy… this is gonna be a bit of a tough season. We're on to Spa, guys. We have to win there, if we're gonna beat the Audis._

Ben: There's a bit of 'get the act together' frustration from Eren there – he is not pleased at all, as that means a double-retirement for Porsche. Not at all the start they pictured.

Code 60 is in effect for the first sector; and Ami Mizuno is leading the way by about 25 seconds from the two Toyotas of Shun Kazami and Thomas Norstein; can she be able to hold them off for the last 20 minutes?

Just as we say that, Kazami and Norstein record a qualifying lap – three seconds knocked off the gap! Now the afterburners are on for the Toyota Gazoo team!

John: Minazuki responds by setting a lap one second faster, but I doubt that'll be enough to stop the Toyotas' progress; and that's exactly what we mean! Kazami and Norstein cut the gap down again, this time by four seconds!

Now we are down to just 19 seconds from Minazuki's Audi to the two Toyotas; as we look to LMP2 and see Ellen Kurokawa dicing it with Blake Belladonna – ESM and Manor spicing up the WEC party, as is the Aston of Jack Atlas, trying to bat off BMW's Odd della Robbia and Scarlet O'Hara.

In the GTE-Am ranks, it looks like an Aston 1-2, as the Dempsey-Proton of James Silverfox and that Ferrari F458 of Clay Bailey go to blows; and as we say that, look at the Aston of Cloud Strife – he's slowing to a halt, on the side of the road!

Ben: That doesn't bode well for the Aston team – case in point, that GTE-Am Aston of Cloud Strife! He's also pulling off the track! What do the AMR team do for Jack Atlas?

 **(#97 Team Radio – Aston Martin Racing, GTE-Pro)**  
Darren Turner: _Jack, save fuel, save fuel. We can't risk going on fumes for this car._

John: So they're gonna play it safe, and let the BMW guys battle it out for the victory, and hope they crash each other out – will it pay off for them?

We are approaching the last minute of the race, and the gap is now only six seconds from the Audi to the Toyotas – I don't think either of them will catch the Audi!

There it is – time is up; all zeroes across the clock, and here comes Ami Mizuno! There was promise in testing that Audi would rise to the challenge of defending the #1 and #2 spots, and they've answered emphatically!

SHE WILL TAKE SILVERSTONE, THE OPENER OF THE WEC, FOR AUDI!

 **(#1 Team Radio – Audi Sport Team Joest, LMP1-H)**  
Leena Gade: _Awesome job, Ami! Fantastic! That's P1 to start off the year! Well done!_  
Ami: _Had to work a bit hard for that one – can't rest on our laurels yet!_

Ben: And here come the LMP2 runners - Ellen Kurokawa is going to run the Manor Motorsport team to its first-ever victory in endurance racing, to the roar of the home crowd! She'll take the P2 class by over a second from the ESM Ligiers!  
 **  
(#44 Team Radio – Manor Motorsport, LMP2)**  
Graeme Lowdon: _Ladies and gentlemen, the eagle has landed! Ellen, fantastic job to you and the squad - you guys really deserved it!_  
Ellen: _Wooo! On the path to victory, people!  
_

John: And it will be indeed a BMW leading home the way, but it will be the factory effort that will bring home the win! Team Schnitzer comes home and brings the M6 to its first victory in endurance racing as well!  
 **  
(#100 Team Radio – BMW Team Schnitzer, GTE-Pro)**  
Jens Marquardt: _Ulrich, you've done it! That's win number one of many for BMW, man! Awesome!_  
Ulrich: _Eat_ that _and shove it up your tailpipe, [Marco] Diaz!_

Ben: And here's something the home crowd will be happy about – an Aston Martin coming home to take the GTE-Am class win! And at the hands of the Tracy Brothers – this will be joyous news for the fans; two British teams on the top step of the podium!

 **(#98 Team Radio – Aston Martin Racing, GTE-Am)**  
Andy Palmer: _You beauty, Scottie! You've rescued the day for the British public; well done! Just awesome!_  
Scott: _All for one, and one for all – that's the way Aston works, everyone!_

 ** _(Podium celebrations)_**

Ben: Here come the top Prototype runners in both classes - and on the top step, the trio of Ami Minazuki, Rei Hino and Serena Tsukino! Here come the national anthems for the winning team and drivers!

 ** _('Kimigayo' [the Japanese national anthem], then 'das Deutschlandlied' [the German National anthem])_**

John: There we go! The winner's trophy presented to the ladies, as will the LMP2 winners of Alex Minazuki, Ellen Kurokawa and Natalie Blackstone. There they are - and presenting the trophy to the Toyota team drivers, who really made their mark with their TS050; last year was not pretty for them at all.

And there goes the champagne baths for the LMP drivers - well done to all of them!

Here come the GTE drivers, led out by Aelita Stones, Ulrich Stern, and Odd della Robbia - and here are the national anthems for the winning driver and teams!

 ** _('La Marseillaise' [the French national anthem], then 'das Deutschlandlied' [the German National anthem])_**

Ben: Well done to the BMW Team Schnitzer team to really dig deep and grind for their marque; there's the winner's trophy to them, and a winner's trophy to the Aston Martin youth team; very hard work for them to rally back and win their home race.

And the champagne! Very nice spectacle to see the young drivers of tomorrow in the shower of victory.

 ** _(Interviews)_**

 **Serena:** "It's good to start the season off right with the win - it's only natural! But I have to say, I am keeping an eye on our opponents, because something tells me that Porsche and Toyota still have something up their sleeve for us. I know that they've been working desperately to try and catch up with the Audi guys, what with Toyota moving from their NA V8 engine setup to a more compact, turbocharged V8, and with Porsche rocketing off in the straights! If we're gonna win this year, we're _bound_ to work for it, rather than be somewhat gifted it." _(on the prospects of repeating as champs)_

 **Ellen:** "If there's one thing to say about this season, it is that this year's field is stacked, no doubt. For us to come out guns ablazing - against the likes of OAK, G-Drive, SMP Racing, even KCMG, whom we share the same chassis, that Oreca 05 - and winning for the home crowd really does show promise for this small team that Graeme and John put together. I think it was the 'romance of Le Mans' or something like that, that really swung the team this way, and I'm glad they did it. If anything, maybe they should put together that IndyCar team, but in the near future. Either way, I think this is the little team that can - we like to be thought as the underdogs rather, than the favourites, because... why _not_ us?" _(on the P2 field)_

 **Ulrich:** "If there was anything that could have been improved, I'd say it'd be just our race pace and our race consistency - BMW have a good package on their hands, and they need to harness that potential for all of us to really crank out wins. I know our American "brothers" over at Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing, with Eliza [Thornberry], Vanessa [Doofenshmirtz] and Ashoka [Tano] would say the same thing. A shame they couldn't help their BMW brothers on this side of the Atlantic, but you take what you can get; maybe next year." _("Anything you think should have gone better?")_

 **Scott:** "Winning for Aston is always nice - winning for them at your home race is even better. My brothers and I are surely going to be having some fun tonight; this should set us up well for Le Mans and the future. But one thing I want to be critical about, though, is our reliability. I think, if that had swung our way, we'd have two Astons on the top step of the podium." _(on the home race win - not just for him - but for Aston)_  
 ** _  
Results:_**  
 **LMP1:**  
1\. #1: Tsukino/Mizuno/Hino (50pts)  
2\. #6: Kuso/Kazami/Clay (46pts)  
3\. #5: Damon/Norstein/Fujieda (32pts)  
4\. #2: Shidou/Ryuuzaki/Hououji (26pts)

 **LMP2:**  
5\. #44: Blackstone/Minazuki/Kurokawa [LMP2 Winners] (+22pts)  
6\. #30: Rose/Schnee/Belladonna (+20pts)  
7\. #31: Arc/Valkyrie/Lie (+18pts)  
8\. #28: Grachev/Kvyat/Move (+16pts)  
9\. #37: Petrov/Romanov/Zlobin (+14pts)  
10\. #27: Dudukalo/Kouzkin/Martsenko (+12pts)  
11\. #33: Kamijou/Misaka/Shirai (+10pts)  
12\. #46: R. Takahashi/K. Takahashi/Fujiwara (+8pts)  
13\. #42: Leventis/Watts/Lancaster (+6pts)  
14\. #43: Bryner/Hurni/Burri (+4pts)  
15\. #26: Aleshin/Ivanowski/Lukashevich (+2pts)  
16\. #36: Carpenter/Wascher/Hagen (+1pts)  
17\. #48: Dutta/McCrury/Berthon (+1pts)  
18\. #41: McRae/Haywood/Møller (+1pts)  
19\. #35: Panciatici/Chantin/Capillaire (+1pts)  
20\. #45: Montanari/Meloni/Lombardi (+1pts)

DNF: #7: Jaeger/Ackerman/Arlert (P1) **_[Engine blow, 5h37m]_**  
DNF: #23: R. Hojo/G. Hojo/Inui (P2) **[Electronics, 5h00m]**  
DNF: #40: B. Tennyson/G. Tennyson/Levin (P2) **[Oil pressure, 4h35m]**  
DNF: #8: Kurosaki/Kuchiki/Inoue (P1) **_[Accident - Hangar Straight, 2h55m]_**  
DNF: #47: Narukami/Hanamura/Satonaka (P2) **_[Wheel lock-up into gravel, 2h40m]_**

 **GTE-Pro:**  
21\. #100: Stones/Stern/della Robbia [GTE-Pro Winners] (+50pts)  
22\. #97: Fudo/Atlas/Izinski (+40pts)  
23\. #87: Lampérouge/Kururugi/Stadtfeld (+32pts)  
24\. #91: Pickles/Finster/DeVille (+26pts)  
25\. #66: P. Flynn/Fletcher/Garcia-Shapiro (+22pts)  
26\. #111: Hanasaki/O'Hara/Tanima (+20pts)  
27\. #55: Vandom/Lair/Cook (+18pts)  
28\. #64: Diaz/Quinlan/Possible (+16pts)  
29\. #63: Uno/Lincoln/Beatles (+14pts)  
30\. #51: Majors/Kalinkas/Cornwell (+12pts)  
31\. #71: N. Tripp/T. Tripp/Herleins (+10pts)  
32\. #67: C. Flynn/Hirano/Johnson (+8pts)  
33\. #92: Cunningham/Weinerman/He. Weinerman (+6pts)

 **GTE-Am:**  
34\. #98: S. Tracy/V. Tracy/G. Tracy (+4pts) [GTE-Am Winner]  
35\. #88: Hamdon/Silverfox/Pepelo (+2pts)  
36\. #62: Tohomiko/Pedrosa/Bailey (+1pts)  
37\. #77: Matoi/Pieete/Steele (+1pts)  
38\. #50: Smith/Lang/Jackson (+1pts)  
39\. #78: Murosaki/Kurohime/Shirona (+1pts)  
40\. #60: Pegasus/Lionet/Aquila (+1pts)

N/C: #72: Tänak/Peterson/Moen (Am) **[in garage, did not complete 90% race distance]**  
DNF: #96: Strife/Gainsborough/Lockhart (Am) **[Out of fuel, 5h55m]**  
DNF: #99: Sakaki/Boyle/Shinunin (Pro) **[Out of fuel, 5h50m]**  
DNF: #95: J. Yuki/Truesdale/Rhodes (Pro) **[Fuel fire in the pits, 5h30m]**  
DNF: #61: Cittando/Cole/McCloud (Am) **[Radiator damage, 5h32m]**  
DNF: #81: Lambert/Casterwill/Moon (Am) **_[Accident - into wall, 2h10m]_**  
DNF: #86: Amane/Hiiragi/Saotome (Pro) **_[Collision with #72, 56m]_**  
DNS: #59: Kaname/Miki/Tomoe (Am) _[Transportation issues after ferry problems from Norway]_

 ** _Bold + Italics: Safety Car or Code 60_**

 ** _Points:_**

 **LMP1 and LMP2 cars:**  
1\. #1 Audi Sport Team Joest (50pts)  
2\. #6 Toyota Gazoo Racing (40pts)  
3\. #5 Toyota Gazoo Racing (32pts)  
4\. #2 Audi Sport Team Joest (26pts)  
5\. #44 Manor Motorsport (22pts) **[LMP2 Championship leader]**  
6\. #30 Tequila Patròn Extreme Speed Motorsports (20pts)  
7\. #31 Tequila Patròn Extreme Speed Motorsports (18pts)  
8\. #28 G-Drive Racing (16pts)  
9\. #37 SMP Racing (14pts)  
10\. #27 SMP Racing (12pts)  
11\. #33 Eurasia Motorsport (10pts)  
12\. #46 Thiriet by TDS Racing (8pts)  
13\. #42 Strakka Racing (6pts)  
14\. #43 RGR Sport by Morand (4pts)  
15\. #26 G-Drive Racing (2pts)  
16.= #48 Murphy Prototypes (1pts)  
16.= #41 Greaves Motorsport (1pts)  
16.= #36 Signatech Alpine (1pts)  
16.= #35 OAK Racing (1pts)  
16.= #45 Ibanez Racing (1pts)  
 **  
LMP1 and LMP2 teams:**  
1\. Audi Sport Team Joest [76pts]  
2\. Toyota Gazoo Racing [72pts]  
3\. Tequila Patròn Extreme Speed Motorsports [38pts] **[LMP2 Constructors' Championship leader]**  
4\. SMP Racing [26pts]  
5\. Manor Motorsport [22pts]  
6\. G-Drive Racing [18pts]  
7\. Eurasia Motorsport [10pts]  
8\. Thiriet by TDS Racing [8pts]  
9\. Strakka Racing [6pts]  
10\. RGR Sport by Morand [4pts]  
11.= Murphy Prototypes [1pts]  
11.= Greaves Motorsport [1pts]  
11.= Signatech Alpine [1pts]  
11.= OAK Racing [1pts]  
11.= Ibanez Racing [1pts]

 **GTE-Pro and -Am cars:**  
1\. #100 BMW Team Schnitzer (50pts)  
2\. #97 Aston Martin Racing (40pts)  
3\. #87 Lexus Team Petronas (32pts)  
4\. #91 Porsche Team Manthey (26pts)  
5\. #66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team UK (22pts)  
6\. #111 West Surrey Racing with IHG Rewards Club (20pts)  
7\. #55 BMW Team Schnitzer (18pts)  
8\. #64 Corvette Racing (16pts)  
9\. #63 Corvette Racing (14pts)  
10\. #51 AF Corse (12pts)  
11\. #71 AF Corse (10pts)  
12\. #67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team UK (8pts)  
13\. #92 Porsche Team Manthey (6pts)  
14\. #98 Aston Martin Racing (4pts) **[GTE-Am Championship leader]**  
15\. #88 Porsche Team Abu Dhabi-Proton (2pts)  
16.= #62 Scuderia Corsa (1pts)  
16.= #77 Porsche Team Dempsey-Proton (1pts)  
16.= #50 Larbre Compétition (1pts)  
16.= #78 KCMG (1pts)  
16.= #60 Formula Racing (1pts)

 **GTE-Pro and -Am teams:  
** 1\. BMW Team Schnitzer (Pro) (78pts) **[GTE-Pro Constructors leader]**  
2\. Aston Martin Racing (Pro & Am) (44pts) **[GTE-Pro-and-Am Constructors leader]**  
3\. Lexus Team Petronas (Pro) (32pts)  
4\. Porsche Team Manthey (Pro) (32pts)  
5.= Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team UK (Pro) (30pts)  
5.= Corvette Racing (Pro) (30pts)  
7\. AF Corse (Pro & Am) (22pts)  
8\. West Surrey Racing with IHG Rewards Club (Pro) (20pts)  
9\. Porsche Team Abu Dhabi-Proton (Am) (2pts) **[GTE-Am Constructors leader]**  
10.= Porsche Team Dempsey-Proton (Am) (1pts)  
10.= Scuderia Corsa (Am) (1pts)  
10.= Larbre Compétition (Am) (1pts)  
10.= KCMG (Am) (1pts)  
10.= Formula Racing (Am) (1pts)

 **Next stop: Stavelot, Belgium, and the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps! We'll see you there!**


End file.
